With the season winding down and the playoff picture sorting itself out, we’ll be taking a look at the night’s games and how they’ll potentially affect the playoff races. This is ProHockeyTalk’s “Race for the Playoffs.”

Ultimately, this game could go a long way in accomplishing those tasks for the Flyers and Rangers, respectively.

Buffalo @ Carolina – 5:00 pm ET

This game could have enormous implications on the outlook of the Eastern Conference playoff bubble. If the Hurricanes manage to win this game in regulation, they would tie the Sabres in points and non-shootout wins with the same games remaining. Conversely, Buffalo could open up a nice cushion between themselves and the Canes if they won this game, even if it wouldn’t guarantee that Carolina would disappear from their rear view mirrors.

Of course, both teams might be keeping an eye on the NBC Game of the Week, because the Rangers will provide both sides with added incentive whether they win or lose.

Tampa Bay @ Chicago – 7:00 pm ET

This game is bigger for the Blackhawks than it is the Lightning, but that doesn’t mean that Tampa Bay lacks a reason to suit up. The Bolts can draw to within one point of the fourth seeded Pittsburgh Penguins. This marks their one game in hand over Pittsburgh, so they would get three games to make up a one-point difference if they managed to beat Chicago.

Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk has been the most difficult goalies to score against this season. Leave it to a high-level player like Leon Draisaitl to make it look this, well, “easy.”

Draisaitl scored his 13th goal of 2016-17 by capping this pretty give-and-go play with Benoit Pouliot. You can see the frustration from Dubnyk at the end of the tally, as if he was saying “How was I supposed to stop that?” (though probably with more colorful language).

Draisaitl came into Friday with five goals and three assists in his last five games, so he’s been almost unstoppable lately.